`Gossip' Host Keeps Secrets Under Her Hat

July 15, 1996|By Christy Slewinski, New York Daily News.

Don't look for Downtown Julie Brown to spill any hot industry secrets, even off the record.

"That's not my bag," says the bubbly host of E! Entertainment's "The Gossip Show," speaking of the weeknightly program's stable of scoop-spillers. "I'm just a third party. . . . For me to (deliver the dirt) would be like an apple falling from a tree and turning into an orange, because I tend to exaggerate--just in case you haven't noticed. It's best that I just stick to being Downtown Julie Brown."

And that, after all, is one of the things she does best.

Brown, a British import, began her on-camera career in England as host of a children's quiz show. Her big U.S. debut was as an MTV veejay and host of "Club MTV." She has also served as a reporter for ESPN and ESPN2. Six months ago, the one-time New York fixture made another move, heading for Los Angeles, and E!

Not surprisingly, Brown's ever-cheerful personality is one of her biggest assets. So even if there are ever any black clouds around Brown, "Gossip's" viewers will never see them.

"Anytime you're doing something daily it's a grind, no matter how much fun it is," she admits. "It's not that easy, but the reason that you're there is to make it look like it is. Who wants to watch a miserable person complaining that they've got PMS (while hosting) `The Gossip Show'? I just don't think people want to hear it."

Now, Brown's back to lighting the flame under her acting career, which she first cultivated onstage in England. Since jumping the pond, she's done guest stints on shows like "Burke's Law," "Dream On" and "Loving." Lately, though, she's been looking for more.

"I hope it's coming across that I'm not just Downtown Julie Brown, this kooky girl that people like because I'm wild and crazy and wear funky clothes," she says.

"I hope people understand that there is some intelligence driving the boat, steering the career."